A Second Dean Line

On 23 January 2008 Larry Dean, of Vancouver, Washington, U.S.A., wrote to us with exciting news concerning his Dean Surname Y-DNA Project (see http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ladeanxx/dnaresults.htm). The results which he previously reported for a known descendant (subject 1I) of our ancestor John Dean (1754-1827), of Gainsborough Tp., Lincoln Co., Upper Canada (now Ontario), have just been found to match on 24 out of 25 markers with a subject (no. 2M) who cannot be placed among the direct descendants of John Dean. This finding provides the first evidence that John Dean had collateral kindred of some kind in the U.S., or in other words that he was not the only member of his family to come to America. As explained in documentation at the testing company’s website, a match of 24 out of 25 markers suggests with 95% probability that there is a relationship within the last 20 generations.^[1]

Thanks are also due to Connie Gott, a great-great-granddaughter of Ransom Dean, both for her postings to various Internet forums regarding this family, and for information which she has subsequently supplied to us.

In this page, of which the present version is merely a rough draft, we have used data kindly supplied by Larry Dean to begin working the lineage backward as far as possible from Ransom Dean (1844-?), born in Michigan. His known children are also shown, but later generations have been suppressed pending permission from descendants to publish their names.

Robert Dean m. before 1844, Helen Blackburn. As explained below, their names have been taken from the 1892 marrage record of their son Ransom. It should be stressed, however, that they were probably long dead by then, and no truly contemporary record mentioning them has been found. Their places of birth as stated in census records relating to this son are inconsistent. They are left blank in 1880, and his is given as Michigan in 1900 but merely as “U.S.A” in 1910, while hers is given as New York in 1900 but as Indiana in 1910. They had an only known child:

Ransom Dean, said to have been b. 22 April 1844 in Michigan,^[2] d. 1 Nov. 1913, possibly at St. George, Georgia.^[3] He m. (1) by 1870, presumably in Indiana (but subsequently divorced in October 1891 in Porter Co.^[4]), Almira Sharp, apparently b. 1841-42 (aged 28 in 1870) in Indiana,^[5] d. 4 March 1932 at Valparaiso.^[6] He m. (2) 27 July 1892 in Kosciusko County, Indiana,^[7] Mary Ida Hays (called Ida Hayes in their marriage record), b. 1857-58 (aged 52 in 1910) in Indiana, of a father born in Virginia and mother born in Indiana. According to Larry Dean, “In the second marriage application he said he was born in Canton, OH, that his father was Robert Dean and his mother was Helen Blackburn. Per the obit his mother or [both] parents died young and he was raised by Samuel and Nancy Washborn/Washburn.” This statement, which is similar to a 2004 posting by Connie Gott,^[8] is supported by census records found by Larry Dean. For what possible help it may be in the further investigation of Robert Dean, we may add that this couple was presumably the Samuel Washburn and Nancy Reed who were married 27 April 1843 in Cass Co., Indiana,^[9] and in any case there seems to be no doubt that Samuel Washburn was born in that state.
    We have not found Ransom Dean in the 1850 census, but in 1860 he was living with the Washburns in Eel River Tp., Allen Co., Indiana, Samuel Washburn being a wagon maker and Ransom Dean himself, the only other member of the household besides Samuel’s wife, a laborer.^[10] By 1870 he had left the Washburn household^[11] and married, and was living with his first wife, Almira, at Valparaiso, Porter Co., Indiana; he was by then a wagon manufacturer, a trade he presumably learned from his foster-father.^[12] He was still married to Almira, and was still a wagon manufacturer, in 1880, when they again appear with their three children in the census at Valparaiso.^[13] In 1900 he and his second wife are found with their son Robert in Wayne Tp., Kosciusko Co., which incorrectly gives his name as Robert instead of Ransom, and appears to give his field of work as “carriage parts”; by this time none of his children by his first wife were living with him.^[14] In 1910 they wife are found in Ward 7 of the city of Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, with their son Robert, Ransom being called a wheelwright.^[15]
    Known issue:^[16]

(by first wife:)

1. Sarah Ella Dean, b. 1863-64 (aged 6 in 1870) in Indiana, d. 20 Aug. 1950. She is not found in her parents’ household in the 1880 census. Connie Gott believes she “probably had a very short first marriage.” She m. (2?) in Feb. 1885, Frederick W. Leake.
2. Effie Eldora Dean, b. about 1867 (aged 3 in 1870, 12 in 1880) in Indiana; described in the 1880 census as suffering from “spinal disease.” This is said to have been caused by a fracture suffered falling on the marble hearth of a fireplace. She m. Orington Marshall. Only known child:
   1. Ethel Marshall, m. Asa Bartz, and has two living daughters.
3. Lyman Elsworth Dean, b. 5 Nov. 1869^[17] in Marshall Co., Indiana, d. 17 April 1971 at Valparaiso, aged over 101 years.^[18] In 1890 he founded, in partnership with a man named George Salyer, a plumbing company which was later renamed the Valparaiso Plumbing Company; it is mentioned in a number of web pages. He m. 20 Sept. 1890, Anne M. Stalbaum, b. in Sept. 1869 in Indiana, living 1900, whose parents were both born in Germany but are falsely stated in the 1900 census to have been born in Indiana. He and his family appear at North College Ave., in Ward 1 of Valparaiso, in the 1900 census, in which he is called a plumber.^[19] Known issue:
   1. Glen E. Dean, of Valparaiso, b. 27 Sept. 1891, d. in June 1971^[20]; m. 17 March 1912, Clara Louise Brown.
   2. Ray Leslie Dean, b. 2 Oct. 1893 at Valparaiso, d. there 8 Nov. 1985. He m. 17 Aug. 1912, Lucy Baker. They were the direct ancestors of test subject no. 2M on Larry Dean’s page.
   3. Helen C. Dean, b. in Jan. 1899 (per 1900 census). She m. 10 Sept. 1923, Paul Findling.

(by second wife:)

4. Robert E. Dean, b. in May 1893 (per 1900 census) in Indiana, alive in 1910.

Unplaced Persons with a possible connection to this family

Katie Dean, b. in April 1874 in Indiana, of parents both born in Ohio (per 1900 census); m. 28 April 1894 in Kosciusko Co.,^[21] Austin H. Sponseller, b. in July 1864 (per 1900 census) in Ohio.^[22] Known issue:

1. Norman Sponseller, b. in Feb. 1895 (per 1900 census); predeceased his sister Blanche.
2. Blanche Sponseller, b. 11 April 1898, d. 7 Dec. 1990; m. Ben I. Gardner. A death notice reads as follows: “Blanche S. Gardner, 92, of 17B Road, Tippecanoe, died at 11 a.m. Friday at the home of a friend with whom she lived. She was born April 11, 1898 in Atwood to Austin and Katie Dean Sponseller. On Jan. 13, 1919 in North Liberty she married Ben I. Gardner, who died April 5, 1981. She was a member of the Church of the Brethren, North Liberty, and the Hi-Neighbor Club, Argos. Surviving are two sons, Vernon L. [Gardner], of Plymouth, and Harold B. [Gardner], of Apache Junction, Ariz., and of Argos; five grandchildren, and five greatgrandchildren. Preceding in death was a brother, Norman [Sponseller]…. Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery, Argos…. Memorials may be made to the Church of Jesus Christ, Argos, or the Church of the Brethren, North Liberty.”^[23]

Notes

name             age   occupation    birthplace
-----------------------------------------------
Samuel Washburn  47    wagon maker.  Indiana
Nancy     "      55    ----          Ohio
Ransom Dean      19    laborer       Indiana

name           age gender occupation   birthplace
-------------------------------------------------
Washburn, Sam'l  58  M  waggon maker   Indiana
   "    , Nancy  58  F  keeping house  Pennsylvania

name            age  gender birthplace  occupation
----------------------------------------------------------
Dean, Ransom      28   M   Ohio         wagon manufacturer
Dean, Almira      28   F   Indiana      keeping house
Dean, Sarah E.     6   F   Indiana
Dean, Effie E.     3   F   Indiana
Dean, Lyman S.  5/12   M   Indiana

name        relation gender age birthpl. father   mother    occupation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean, Ransom      [head]  M  34  Indiana  ----     ----     wagon manufacturer
Dean, Almira      wife    F  32  Indiana  ----     ----     keeping house
Dean, Ella        dau.    F  15  Indiana  Indiana  Indiana  tailoress
=== (page-break) ===
Dean, Effe [sic]* dau.    F  12  Indiana  Indiana  Indiana  at home
Dean, Lyman       son     M  10  Indiana  Indiana  Indiana  at home
----
* It is noted that she suffered from "spinal disease"

name     relationship  birthdate   age cond. birthpl. father    mother
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rob't* P. Dean  head   April 1847  53  M**  Michigan  Michigan  New York
  occupation: carriage parts (?)
Ida M. Dean     wife   April 1858  42  M**  Indiana   New York  New York
Robert E. Dean  son    May   1893   7  S    Indiana   Michigan  Indiana
----
* (sic)
** Married 8 years

name        relation age cond. b.p.      father    mother   occupation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean, Ransom     head  66  M*  Michigan  U.S.A     Indiana   wheelwright**
  " , Mary I.    wife  52  M*  Indiana   Virginia  Indiana
  " , Robert E.  son   16  S   Indiana   Michigan  Indiana
====
* married 17 years
** in carriage manufacturing
Entire family's language English

name   relationship  birthdate   age cond. occ.
Lyman E. Dean  head  Nov.  1870  29  M*   plumber
Anne M. Dean   wife  Sept. 1869  30  M*
Glen E. Dean   son   Sept. 1891   8  S    at school
Ray Dean       son   Oct.  1893   6  S    at school
Helen C. Dean  dau.  Jan.  1899   1  S
----
* married 10 years
All birthplaces Indiana; all parental birthplaces Indiana

name     relationship   birthdate   age  cond. birthpl. father   mother
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Au...* Sponseller  head  July  1864  35  M**   Ohio     Ohio     Pennsylvania
  occupation: farmer
Kate Sponseller    wife  April 1874  26  M**   Indiana  Ohio     Ohio
Norman Sponseller  son   Feb.  1895   5  S     Indiana  Indiana  Indiana
Blanch Sponseller  dau.  April 1898   2  S     Indiana  Indiana  Indiana
----
* illegible
** married 6 years

cybrary.uwinnipeg.ca/people/Dobson/genealogy/ff/Dean_2.cfm
This page first appeared 24 January 2008
Last revised 26 May 2008